According to a report by the blog paidContent, which broke news of the mass departure, the Sling executives agreed to stay a year after its acquisition by satellite TV company EchoStar for $342m. That agreement has expired and apparently the entrepreneurs are moving on.

Blake Krikorian told the Mercury News that he and his brother decided to bail from Sling jointly — but held the announcement until after the Consumer Electronics Show. His reason for leaving is that he and his brother prefer running their own business.

"It means something when you sell a company: It's no longer your company," Krikorian told Mercury News. "As much as I love the team and am incredibly excited about what they're doing, it's no the best fit for me, for where I am in my life."

The company hasn't officially announced the departure, so it's still unclear who will be taking the reigns in 2009. ®